Handoff to Lane Kiffin; announcement likely Monday : govolsxtra.com

The University of Tennessee has agreed in principle with Lane Kiffin to become the Vols’ next football coach, a well-placed source within the program has told the News Sentinel.

Barring any unforeseen snags, Kiffin will be announced in the coming days, likely on Monday.

The 33-year-old Kiffin will replace Phillip Fulmer who was forced to step down on Nov. 2. Fulmer’s last game will be tonight against Kentucky at Neyland Stadium.

Media reports surfaced on Wednesday that Kiffin had been offered the job. UT athletic director Mike Hamilton denied those reports at the time saying the search was ongoing.

While the timeline is unclear, Kiffin will become UT’s third coach since 1977.

Kiffin is coming off a tumultuous parting from the NFL’s Oakland Raiders in which both parties filed grievances with the league.

The Raiders fired Kiffin on Sept. 30 after compiling a 5-15 record in one-plus seasons. When he was hired by Raiders owner Al Davis in January 2007 at age 31 he became the youngest coach in the NFL’s modern history. His salary with the Raiders was $2 million per season.

Kiffin was an assistant at Fresno State from 1997-98 and Southern Cal from 2001-04 and the Trojans offensive coordinator from 2005-06.

Kiffin is known for running a pro-style offense with West Coast principles. He was also a part of a Southern Cal recruiting effort that proved it could reel in top talent nationwide.

By hiring Kiffin now, the Vols get a head start on salvaging the 2009 class, which was once ranked in the top 10 in the nation but has since lost four commitments and is on the verge of losing two more.

Kiffin and staff can visit prospects in their home next week and can host an official visit weekend on Dec. 6.

UT can host official visitors the following weekend. However, with the semester complete by then, few students and players will be on campus to host prospects and provide a true representation of campus life.

Kiffin has been assembling a staff for quite some time. Here are some possibilities:

* Monte Kiffin: Lane Kiffin’s father, Monte Kiffin is a highly respected defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Securing him could be tough. Kiffin reportedly makes $2 million annually for the Bucs.

* Ed Orgeron: Now a defensive line caoch with the New Orleans Saints, Orgeron coached with Kiffin at Southern Cal and furthered his reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation during his tenure as coach at Ole Miss.

* Bill Callahan: Callahan has been fired from two coaching positions, with the Raiders and Nebraska, but is still considered an accomplished offensive coordinator. He is currently an assistant offensive head coach for the New York Jets.

* Doug Marrone: This name isn’t new to UT coaching searches. Now the offensive line coach for the Saints, UT has approached Marrone several times. He coached for the Vols in 2001. Marrone is also a candidate for the vacancy at Syracuse.

* Joe Whitt Jr.: Now the defensive quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers, Whitt was known as a strong recruiter as quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisville from 2003-06.

* David Reaves: Quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at South Carolina, Reaves is Lane Kiffin’s brother-in-law.

* Chris Kiffin: The next coaching Kiffin, Chris Kiffin is Lane Kiffin’s brother and is a coaching intern at Nebraska.

* UT assistants: Several coaches from Fulmer’s staff could help provide a smooth transition and recruiting prowess. Defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell, receivers coach Latrell Scott and offensive line coach Greg Adkins have a proven history of recruiting top-notch talent.